Ghoul's Gym
by Fegerrific
Summary: When a zombie haunts a local gym, Scooby and the gang arrive to help. But between a feuding couple, an unsatisfied patron, a rival gym and an undead freak of nature, it will take all of Mystery Incorporated's skills to bring down this gym ghoul!
1. Drop the Hammer

Velma carefully slit open the wrinkled manila envelope and slid out a thick paperback book titled, _The Beast in the Bayou: A Detective Cam Clarke Novel_ by Beau Neville. She grinned broadly and cracked open the freshly printed book. Inhaling that oh-so-wonderful new book smell, Velma settled into her armchair and began to read. For a few moments, the only sound in the room was Velma voraciously turning pages until the blissful silence was interrupted by a shrieking demon from hell.

"Oh, jinkies," Velma grumbled in irritation, reaching over to pick up the shrieking demon. "Good afternoon, Mystery Incorporated. How may I direct your call?" Grabbing a notepad and pencil, she chewed on the eraser, waiting for the caller's answer. "Yes, this is she. Okay. Sure thing. 9450 E. Summerhill Drive? We'll be there!"

Within minutes, the gang had clambered into the Mystery Machine and was on their way to their next case. "So who needs our help this time?" Fred asked curiously, steering the Mystery Machine around a grandma in a Hugo.

"Dave Hammer, the owner of Hammer Gym downtown," Velma replied, sliding her square-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. "He says that his gym is being haunted!"

In the backseat, Shaggy raised an eyebrow. "A haunted gym? That, like, makes it DOUBLY worse in my book!" Scooby yipped in agreement.

"Anyway," continued Velma, "Mr. Hammer didn't want to say too much over the phone, but he asked us to come and help."

"I hope it's not a giant donut again," Daphne joked.

The gang arrived at Hammer Gym, a gleaming tower of steel and glass located in downtown Coolsville. "Well, gang, this must be the place!" Fred announced. With a flick of his wrist, he expertly steered the van into a parking spot and the gang clambered out.

As the gang strode up to the entrance, the door suddenly slammed open! The sleuths were almost trampled by a surging throng of people! "Yikes! It's horrifying!" "Awful!" "I'll never exercise again!" The crowd's screams of horror overlapped as they all raced away in fright.

"We must be in the right place," Velma said, gingerly pulling open the door.

The gang entered the lobby, a round room made almost entirely of glass. The Hammer Gym Logo, two crossed throwing hammers, was inlaid into the marble floor. A steel desk sat in the corner, guarding a door that presumably led to the gym.

An enormous man wearing a red Hammer Gym T-shirt and navy mesh shorts raced through the door and approached the gang. "Welcome to Hammer Gym! I'm the owner, Dave Hammer. I do apologize, but you will have to leave your dog outside."

Scooby looked around wildly. "Rog!? Rhere?!"

Fred extended his hand. "I'm Fred Jones of Mystery Incorporated, and Scooby goes where we go. That's non-negotiable."

Dave stroked his brown goatee with a grin. "You come with your own K-9 unit? Okay, I can live with that." He shook Fred's hand with a powerful grip, causing Fred to yelp in pain. "Ooh, sorry about that. So you're the famous Mystery Incorporated! Thanks for coming!"

"Glad to help," replied Velma. "We always get our monster!"

"Or man in a monster suit," Daphne countered. "That's usually all it is, Mr. Hammer."

"It's Dave. None of that Mr. Hammer nonsense," Dave sighed, removing his Hammer Gym ball cap to scratch his messy brown hair.

"So what's been happening here, Dave?" Fred asked.

Dave lowered his voice conspiratorially. "It started last week. At first, I wrote it off as a silly prank, but I'm getting worried, especially since people are leaving left and right. They call it the 'Gym Ghoul.' It's this really gross-looking zombie; green, rotting skin and this awful skeletal face." Shaggy grabbed ahold of Scooby's paws and began nibbling on his pet's nails. In annoyance, Scooby snatched his paw away gave Shaggy an admonishing look.

"So you've seen the creature?" asked Fred.

"Yeah, and I wish I could UN-see it!" Dave moaned. "Because of that monster, all my customers are staying away in droves! Can you kids help!?"

"We'll do our best!" Velma proclaimed. "Is there anyone you suspect?"

"Yes I do," Dave muttered darkly. "My next-door neighbor, Wyatt Masters. That two-timer started up a gym NEXT DOOR to me to spite me!"

Fred snagged his front teeth over his bottom lip. "Hmmm…So I think we need have a talk with this Mr. Masters, then."


	2. Master of the House

The gang left Hammer Gym and walked the short distance down the sidewalk to Masters Gym. "Hmmm…Dave wasn't kidding when he said they were right next to each other," Velma mused. The gang entered the lobby of Masters Gym. The sun shone through the glass walls and onto the Masters Gym logo, a large golden globe, inlaid into the floor.

A man with tousled blonde hair and black-rimmed glasses sat behind a desk in the lobby. "Good morning! Welcome to Masters Gym." He strode out from behind the desk, revealing a well-muscled form covered by a Masters Gym tank top. "I'm the owner, Wyatt Masters." Pulling a few sheets of paper from the desk, he waved them at the gang. "Can I interest any of you in a membership?"

Fred waved the papers away. "Actually, Mr. Masters, we're Mystery Incorporated."

Wyatt's eyes widened with recognition. "I've heard of you. And given your reputation, I'm guessing you're here about Dave's 'Gym Ghoul.' Let's talk in private." He waved the gang into his office behind the desk.

Wyatt's office was a small room decorated with various fitness medals and awards. A makeshift desk teetered under the weight of a top-of-the-line computer, several musty old books and various bills and papers. "I feel awful for the poor guy," Wyatt sighed, leading the gang into the room. "Being next door to each other, Dave and I have always had a pretty friendly rivalry, but now that this Gym Ghoul's been showin' up, well, it's been decidedly…less…friendly. I'll be happy to help you all in any way that I can. The sooner you catch this monster, the sooner all this silly bickering can end."

"Well, is there anything you know about the ghoul, Mr. Masters?" asked Velma curiously.

"Wyatt, please. Just Wyatt. And no, I don't." He pulled a book off his desk and blew a few years of accumulated dust off the cover, causing Scooby to sneeze. "I've checked the death records down at City Hall and found no one who died here or would have wanted to haunt this place. I'm afraid I can't help you much in that regard."

"Well, thanks for trying, Wyatt," Velma replied. "We'll go see if we can find more clues at Hammer Gym."

Wyatt's forced grin never quite met his dark, flashing eyes. "Great! Good luck, kids."

Fred shuddered in annoyance as they turned to leave. "We're NOT kids," he muttered under his breath.

Daphne giggled and gently squeezed Fred's shoulder. "Let it go, Freddie."

As the gang strode down the sidewalk to Hammer Gym, they spotted a couple bickering outside the entrance to Hammer Gym and stopped to watch. The man wore a dark grey tank top, exposing thick, muscular arms, and grey shorts that showed off legs thick as tree trunks. His black hair was cropped as close as possible to his head and held in place with a red sweatband. The tall woman, made even taller by her black-heeled shoes, wore a cream-colored blouse accented by a gold necklace. A long, mint-green skirt cascaded down her shapely legs and her fire-engine red hair was pulled into a simple ponytail that hung down loosely down her back.

"You will be home for supper, right, Matt?" the woman pleaded, giving her ponytail a flirtatious toss.

Matt ran his fingers through his close-cropped hair. "I just don't know, Anna, darling," he sighed deeply. "I've got to put in some serious hours here if I hope to have a chance at Mr. Coolsville this fall."

Anna pouted. "I was even planning on making your favorite tonight."

Matt reached out and pulled Anna into his arms. "For your meatloaf, I'll be home early," he grinned, planting a kiss on her cheek and then her lips. Releasing her, Matt turned and strode into the gym with a cursory, "See you tonight!" before vanishing inside.

"Way to a man's heart is through his well-toned stomach!" she muttered furiously, turning on her heel and accidentally smacking Fred in the face with her red ponytail. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" gasped Anna.

Fred wiped the stray hairs from his face. "No harm done," he replied dismissively.

"Good," Anna sighed happily, extending her hand to the gang. "I'm Anna Wilcox." The gang quickly introduced themselves with a round of hand-and-pawshakes. "Just dropped off my husband and going home to make supper. You go to Hammer Gym, too?"

"Not quite," Velma replied. "Would you believe we're looking for a ghoul?"

Anna looked puzzled. "No, no I wouldn't. Is this some kind of joke?"

"Like, if it is, it's n-not a very f-funny one," Shaggy stuttered.

Anna listened in shock as Fred explained their mission at Hammer Gym. "Matt never said anything about a zombie…but I might have tuned him out. I'd never set foot in a gym in my life and I sometimes wish he wouldn't either. I never thought I'd find myself rooting for an undead creature of darkness, but if it gets Matt home a few nights a week…well…" With a wistful sigh, Anna trouped to her car and drove off.

The gang watched Anna leave before entering Hammer Gym. Matt Wilcox had vanished, but Dave was standing in the glassed-in lobby, having a heated argument with a scrawny young man wearing an ill-fitting Hammer Gym t-shirt that hung off his body in waves.

"And furthermore," the man whined in a nasally, grating voice. "I've got an ironclad contract saying that I would be sure to see results in six weeks! And it's been SEVEN! And NOTHING!"

"Please, Sydney," Dave begged. "Keep your voice down!"

Sydney ignored Dave's pleas. "Why? Don't want everyone to know what a CHEAT you are?!"

"Sydney, if you're unsatisfied, I will happily refund your money when I'm financially able to, but until this Gym Ghoul business blows over…"

Sydney scoffed. "Typical. Blaming your own faults on some made-up monster! I'm warning you, Dave! I'll make you pay!" With a final glare at Dave, Sydney stormed out of the gym.

Dave sadly watched Sydney leave. "If word gets out about this, I'll be ruined!" he moaned. "Did you arrest that two-timer, Wyatt, yet?"

"It doesn't _quite_ work that way, Dave," Fred replied. "We need to see if we can find any clues before we make any arrests. Can we take a look around here and see what we can find?"

Dave nodded. "Go for it. The gym's through that door," he replied, pointing. After a quick bribe with Scooby Snacks, the gang entered into the gym.


	3. The Gym Ghoul

The sterile blue-carpeted room was deserted save for Matt Wilcox occupying the chin-up bar. One wall of the massive gym was lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors. In front of the mirrors was a line of empty stationary bikes. A set of stairs led to a platform with a row of treadmills high above the gym. "Jeepers, there's no one here," Daphne commented.

"_Ninety-eight! _Just the way I like it!" the lone man on the chin-up bar grunted. "_Ninety-nine! _No neophytes hogging machines they don't know how to use! _One-hundred!"_ He dropped to the ground and began doing one-armed push-ups. "It's great having free reign here!"

"Aren't you afraid of the ghoul?" Fred asked.

"That…made-up…malarkey?" Matt groaned with exertion. "I'm here…training for…the Mr. Coolsville…competition…this spring…_Forty-three…forty-four…_and no made-up…monster's…going to scare…me off! _Fifty-eight…fifty-nine…sixty!_" The muscular man leapt up, gave the mat a cursory wipe-down with his towel before draping it over his shoulders. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to cram a three-day workout into two hours to even have a chance at competing." With a barely-audible farewell, Matt strode over to the free weights and picked up the heaviest two barbells with a masculine grunt.

"Well, gang, guess we need to split up and look for clues," Fred announced. "Velma, why don't you, Shaggy and Scooby stay here and see what you can find. Daphne and I will go down to Masters Gym and take a look around."

"Sure thing," Velma replied. "Scooby, can that sniffer of yours sniff out some clues?"

"Or, like, a snack bar?" Shaggy quipped. Velma gave him a look. "Hey, there's nothing more important than eating my book," he protested.

"That's because your book is a cookbook," Velma muttered, rolling her eyes. "Well, Scoob? Find anything?"

Scooby reluctantly put his nose to the ground and began to sniff for clues.

Daphne and Fred left the exercise room of Hammer Gym and headed out into the lobby, where they were surprised to see Sydney Dalton back, still furious at Dave. "Please, Mr. Dalton, please be reasonable!" Dave pleaded to the scrawny young man.

"I don't HAVE to be reasonable!" Sydney bawled. "If you don't pay up, Hammer, I'll make sure that you pay! One way or another!"

Hurriedly, the pair slipped past the arguing duo, eager to not get caught in the middle, and strode down to Master Gym. As they entered, Wyatt strode up to greet them. "Welcome back! How goes the investigation?"

"We're just getting started, Wyatt," Fred replied. "Do you think we could take a look around here, just as a routine inspection?"

Wyatt waved a hand dismissively. "Sure thing," he replied breezily. "I have nothing to hide. If you need anything, I'll be around." With a quick 'see you,' Wyatt vanished into his office as Fred and Daphne entered Masters Gym.

In Hammer Gym, Scooby, Shaggy and Velma continued their search. "Well, Scooby?" Velma asked, watching Scooby, sniffing like mad, wind his way around exercise bikes and treadmills before padding out into the lobby and pointing his body like an arrow at Dave Hammer at the reception desk.

"Like, what do you smell, Scoob?" Shaggy asked, puzzled.

"Rin rocket!" Scooby yipped.

Velma raised an eyebrow. "Clue in Dave's pocket?" she translated. "Would you mind too terribly, Dave?"

Dave stood. "Not at all, just my wallet and keys and…oh, yeah, I forgot I had this Hotner's Energy Bar still in my pocket from last week!"

Velma slapped her forehead with the heel of her hand. "You mean we've been chasing after a snack?! Scooby, I said sniff out some CLUES!"

"Like, I found a big one!" Shaggy stammered, tapping Velma on the shoulder.

"Good, at least you're paying attention," she muttered, turning around to see what Shaggy had found. "J-J-JINKIES!"

Standing in the door to the gym was a horrifying creature! As tall as a full-grown man, the monster wore a shredded tank top and rotted mesh shorts that were once navy. Its skeletal face twisted into a horrifying grimace as its jaw opened to emit an otherworldly moan. With a creaky groan, the zombie lurched forward with surprising agility and grabbed Dave in its mildewed embrace! Dave struggled to free himself, but the zombie picked up the gym owner like a rag doll and carried him off!

"Quick, after him!" Velma announced, but the creature had vanished, taking Dave with him!


	4. Stash of Secrets

Daphne and Fred strode through Masters Gym, marveling at how busy it was. "Seems like Wyatt is pretty blessed by the curse of the Gym Ghoul," Fred remarked, noting that every treadmill and stationary bike was filled with an exercising patron.

"Seems pretty suspicious," Daphne remarked, leaning on the mirrored wall of the gym. Suddenly, she fell backwards as the mirror swung into the wall!

"Daphne!" Fred exclaimed, dashing forward to see if she was okay.

"Ow," Daphne murmured, rubbing her sore backside. "Danger-prone Daphne does it again."

"I think you found a very important clue, Daphne," Fred remarked. "Look, a secret passageway! Let's see where it leads!"

Velma, Shaggy and Scooby combed Hammer Gym from top to bottom, searching for Dave, the Gym Ghoul and a snack bar. (Not necessarily in that order.) "Hey, look at this!" Velma exclaimed, picking up a crumpled piece of paper on the floor by the mirrored wall. "It's a brochure for Masters Gym. The Ghoul must have dropped it when he fled. What a clue!"

Suddenly, Velma tumbled forward as the mirror behind her swung open, knocking her off balance. Fred and Daphne came through the passageway. "Wow!" Fred exclaimed. "We're in Hammer Gym. And look, there's Velma. What are you doing on the floor? Is that a new type of exercise?"

Velma rolled her eyes as she picked herself off the floor, muttering a few curses under her breath. "So where did you all come from?" she asked. "Weren't you looking for clues at Masters Gym?"

"We were," Daphne remarked. "But we stumbled onto this passageway in the gym and followed it here."

Velma recoiled in shock. "Jinkies! A secret passageway?! That must be how the ghoul gets around unnoticed.

"I wonder who else knows about the passageway," Daphne mused. "We should ask Dave."

"We can't," replied Velma. "He was kidnapped by the Gym Ghoul!"

"Why don't you talk to Wyatt and see what he knows while we see if we can find Dave?" Fred asked. Velma nodded and the gang went their separate ways.

"Wyatt, we have a few questions for you," Velma announced, breezing her way into the office.

"Shoot," Wyatt murmured, barely glancing up from the stack of paperwork threatening to teeter over at any second.

"What do you know about the passageways behind the mirrors from your gym to Dave's?"

Wyatt looked up from his paperwork and slipped off his glasses. "Quite a bit, actually. This used to be one building before Dave bought it and walled off half of it. But he put in a passageway behind the mirrors so he could use this part of the building for storage. When I bought it, he offered to wall it off, but we kept it in as a convenience." He chewed on the earpiece of his glasses in thought. "I know Mr. Wilcox uses it all the time. He's got memberships both here and next door; he takes the passageway so he doesn't have to walk back and forth outside."

"Hmmm…Interesting," Velma mused. "Well, thanks for your time, Wyatt. We'll get back to looking for more clues."

"Keep me posted," he called after the retreating sleuth. "You know where I am."

"Okay, gang," Velma announced once she returned to Hammer Gym. "Did you find Dave?"

"We've searched every inch of this gym, but no sign of him," Fred admitted.

Velma sighed in defeat. "Great," she murmured. "I think I've got a pretty good idea of what's been going on here, but I'm going to need a few more clues to solve this mystery."

"Clues like that?" Shaggy asked, pointing.

The gang turned to see the snarling, rotting form of the Gym Ghoul! With shouts of horror, the gang raced away with the ghoul hot on their tails!


End file.
